USAF? USA? USMC?  

Pay sucks compared to what other pilot job? You have to look at total compensation and how it is taxed.

is there a company still out there with any kind of a pension?  Much less one you can ostensibly collect at 38 years old?  Plus you still have a 401k type option through TSP in addition to the pension program.  Unlike a 401k, TSP has an option where you cannnot lose any of the money you invested. 

30 days paid vacation

Educational benefits

Mortgage aisstance through the VA (no down payment) or a FCU (no PMI).

Free legal and tax assistance

Incomplete characterization of pilot groups since you left out the Navy and Coast Guard, both of which have large helicopter communities. Honestly though I think though there are too many pilots and personalities to make any generalizations about what people are like.  

My truth is it's pretty hard to get selected in the first place and military flight school is pretty hard (or they make it that way) to the point you are first, pretty happy to get selected, then just to graduate flight school.  

If you want to fly for the armed forces pick the service that actually selects you for officer training.  Make it through that first, then worry about flight school.

When you get to flight school, forget about picking RW or FW, much less specific airframes.  Make it through Preflight (more people don't than you think) primary, and intermediate (I guess instruments is the equivalent for Army guys) first.  Most people are happy with whatever they get.  

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